John Wood says he was barred from La Plata High School in Maryland after suing the school with his wife Melissa
They claim their 16-year-old daughter was 'indoctrinated into Islam' during world history class
Wood wants no-trespass order lifted as it is his daughter's last semester
Motion says ban violates the First Amendment and his right to free speech
Lawsuit claims students had to 'memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam and were subjected to disparaging teachings about Christianity'
http://dollars-vedioonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/maryland-marine-john-wood-barred-from.html
A Marine veteran who was barred from his daughter's school after objecting to a lesson about Islam wants the ban overturned in time to attend her graduation.
John Wood and his wife Melissa have filed a civil rights complaint against La Plata High School in Maryland, claiming the district forced their 16-year-old daughter to take classes that promote Islam over Christianity and Judaism.
The lawsuit also says Wood was barred from the school after complaining about the curriculum.
Wood now wants to be allowed back on the grounds to attend his daughter's graduation as she is in her last semester of high school.
John Wood (left) and his wife (Melissa) sued La Plata High School in Maryland, claiming their 16-year-old daughter was forced to take classes promoting Islam. Wood, who says he was barred from the school after his complaint, now wants to be allowed back to attend his daughter's graduation
The Thomas More Law Center, a conservative, Christian law firm based in Ann Arbor, Maryland, has filed a motion asking for an injunction to lift the ban.
In court documents obtained by The Daily Mail Online, attorney Kate Oliveri says the no-trespass orders is in violation of the First Amendment.
The motion, filed against the county as well as Evelyn Arnold, La Plata High School's principal, and Shannon Morris, the vice-principal, says the ban violates Wood's right to free speech as it prevents him from attending parents meetings.
'Not only is Mr. Wood irreparably harmed by the denial of his First Amendment rights—taken from him without due process—but his family, particularly his daughter, also suffers because Defendants deny her the opportunity to share key milestones with her father,' the memorandum in support of the injunction reads.
'Mr. Wood also faces the loss of fundamental, once-in-a-lifetime moments in his daughter’s life, such as the culmination of her entire academic career at her high school graduation and honors convocation.'
The Woods previously sued La Plata High School with his wife Melissa alleging their daughter - identified only as C.W. - spent one day in a modern history class studying Christianity, followed by two weeks immersed in Islam.
According to court documents, the 11th grader 'had to profess the Shahada by claiming ''There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.'''
A motion filed by the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative, Christian law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, says the ban violates the First Amendment and threatens Wood's right to free speech as it keeps him from attending parents meetings
'Such discriminatory treatment of Christianity is an unconstitutional promotion of one religion over another,' President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center Richard Thompson said at the time.
For non-Muslims, reciting such a statement is the equivalent of converting to Islam, Thompson added.
He also said the school failed to clearly make known to students and their families that a study of Islam was to be part of the world history curriculum.
Students were also required to memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam and were subjected to disparaging teachings about Christianity, the Woods claim.
'The course also taught false statements such as Allah is the same God worshiped by Christians and Islam is a '''religion of peace'',' Thompson said in the filings.
'A school cannot achieve diversity by punishing and alienating students who hold Judeo-Christian beliefs, while bolstering the doctrines and teachings of other religions.
'Parents must be ever vigilant to the Islamic indoctrination of their children under the guise of teaching history and multiculturalism.
'This is happening in public schools across the country. And they must take action to stop it.'
The Woods say their daughter, identified as C.W., 'had to profess the Shahada by claiming ''There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" as well as memorizing and reciting the Five Pillars of Islam (file picture)
Additionally, the suit claims that Mr Wood was banned from the school grounds after complaining about the curriculum.
Mr Wood served eight years in the Marine Corps and was deployed in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
He was also deployed to the Pentagon as a firefighter during the September 11 attacks.
The suit also says that, following Mr Wood's complaint, he was told his daughter would fail the subject if she were to pull out.
The family is asking for declaratory and injunctive relief barring the promotion of Islam over other religions on school grounds.
La Plata High School sent a statement to WTOP following the lawsuit, clarifying the curriculum.
'The particular unit in question is on the formation of Middle Eastern empires in which students learned the basic concepts of the Islamic faith and how it, along with politics, culture, economics and geography, contributed to the development of the Middle East,' the statement said.
'Other religions are introduced when they influence or impact a particular historical era or geographic region. For example, when reviewing the Renaissance and Reformation, students study the concepts and role of Christianity.
'When learning about the development of China and India, students examine Hinduism and Buddhism.'
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